PCCP Blog

Graphene printer helps fight Parkinson’s disease

31 Aug 2012

The simple, cheap and large-scale production of graphene is a hurdle in its commercial realisation

Scientists in China have developed a method to produce large-scale, high quality, graphene composite films easily and cheaply. The process could be invaluable in commercialising the material for electrochemical biosensor applications.

Graphene has become something of a wonder material since the Nobel prize for physics was awarded to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov in 2010 for their groundbreaking investigations into the material. Its remarkable chemical and electronic applications have led to many researchers finding new applications for it. However, its simple, cheap and large-scale production has remained a major hurdle in its commercial realisation.

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Link to journal article
Layer-by-layer inkjet printing of fabricating reduced graphene-polyoxometalate composite film for chemical sensors
H Zhang et al
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2cp41561e

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Cavitation and ice nucleation in doubly-metastable water

24 Aug 2012

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

A mixture of amorphous ice, ice-Ih/Ic and the high-pressure form, ice-III is observed

Water under tension in a Berthelot tube has been studied by high-speed photography and neutron diffraction.

The water was cooled below the normal ice-nucleation temperature and was in a doubly-metastable state prior to a collapse of the liquid state. The observed pattern does not exhibit the usual crystalline pattern of hexagonal ice [I_h] that is formed under ambient conditions, but indicates the presence of other ice forms. The composite features can be attributed to a mixture of amorphous ice, ice-I_h/I_c and the high-pressure form, ice-III, and the diffraction pattern continues to evolve over a time period of about an hour.

Read this ‘HOT’ PCCP paper:

Studies of cavitation and ice nucleation in ‘doubly-metastable’ water: time-lapse photography and neutron diffraction
Matthew S. Barrow, P. Rhodri Williams, Hoi-Houng Chan, John C. Dore and Marie-Claire Bellissent-Funel
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2CP41925D

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Themed Issue on Biophysical Studies on Protein Misfolding and Amyloid Diseases: Call for papers

22 Aug 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

PCCP themed issue: Biophysical Studies on Protein Misfolding and Amyloid Diseases

Guest Editor: Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy (University of Michigan, USA)

PCCP is delighted to announce the high-profile themed issue ‘Biophysical Studies on Protein Misfolding and Amyloid Diseases’. It is our pleasure to invite you to submit an original research article for this themed issue.

The themed issue will be published in PCCP in 2013. It will receive great exposure, and get significant promotion.

PCCP is a high-impact, community spanning, international journal publishing work of the highest quality in the broad fields of physical chemistry, chemical physics and biophysical chemistry.

Deadline for Submissions: 15th December 2012

Amyloid diseases include a number of untreatable and devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, type II diabetes, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The underlying mechanisms of pathology in these diverse diseases are all linked by the accumulation of misfolded proteins. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of protein misfolding might facilitate new therapeutic discoveries across a broad family of disorders. Towards this goal, the challenge is to bring together an interdisciplinary collection of biophysical investigations required to link molecular mechanisms with cellular pathways and potential drug development.

This PCCP themed issue will cover a variety of topics including:
• The latest structural and kinetic studies on amyloid proteins
• Biophysical techniques to characterize the structure and oligomerization of amyloid proteins
• Novel approaches to inhibit and characterize the amyloid aggregation
• Theoretical and molecular dynamic simulation studies providing insights into the misfolding pathways and structure of amyloid proteins.

Manuscripts can be submitted in any reasonable format using our online submissions service. Submissions should be high quality manuscripts and will be subject to rigorous peer review. Please indicate upon submission that your manuscript is intended for this themed issue.

The deadline for submissions to the themed issue is 15th December 2012, though submissions before this date are of course welcomed.

If you haven’t already, check out our web collection of articles on biophysics and biophysical chemistry in PCCP.

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Layer-by-layer inkjet printing to make a graphene-based film for a chemical sensor

21 Aug 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Scientists in China have used graphene oxide and polyoxometalate solution as ink to fabricate a composite film with a photo printer.

The film shows a linear relationship between the coverage and number of printing cycles, which indicates a steady-state film growth. The team performed a proof-of-principle experiment on the application of the composite for electrochemical sensing and successfully detected dopamine, with increasing current response to increasing concentration. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, levels of which are monitored to diagnose Parkinson’s disease.

Graphene films are used for transistors and sensors, and there is a need for efficient and facile strategies for large-scale fabrication; this method has potential in terms of reducing material waste, lower costs and scalability.

Read more about this exciting work in the full PCCP article:

Layer-by-layer inkjet printing of fabricating reduced graphene-polyoxometalate composite film for chemical sensors
Hui Zhang, Anjian Xie, Yuhua Shen, Lingguang Qiu and Xingyou Tian
DOI: 10.1039/C2CP41561E

Table of contents image

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New drug delivery method for ibuprofen examined

07 Aug 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

French scientists have prepared silica microspheres containing the commonly used drug ibuprofen using a spray drying and sol-gel process. The team found that the ibuprofen forms separate nano-domains within the silica microspheres.

For the full details about the properties of these fascinating materials read the PCCP article today:

Drug nano-domains in spray-dried ibuprofen–silica microspheres
Mohamed Fatnassi, Corine Tourné-Péteilh, Tzonka Mineva, Jean-Marie Devoisselle, Philippe Gaveau, Franck Fayon and Bruno Alonso
DOI: 10.1039/C2CP42092A

Table of contents image. Caption: Confined and fluid imbuprofen

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Olympics fever hits PCCP and Nanoscale

02 Aug 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Medals image As the excitement builds at London 2012 we bring you some “Olympics themed” articles from Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP) and Nanoscale. OK, so some of the links are a bit tenuous but it’s the taking part that counts… We hope you enjoy them!

Quantum sized, thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters
Rongchao Jin
Nanoscale, 2010, 2, 343-362
DOI: 10.1039/B9NR00160C

Density functional triple jumping
Jia Deng, Andrew T. B. Gilbert and Peter M. W. Gill
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 10759-10765
DOI: 10.1039/C0CP00242A

Silver nanowires – unique templates for functional nanostructures
Yugang Sun
Nanoscale, 2010, 2, 1626-1642
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00258E

In situ STM observation of morphological changes of the Pt(111) electrode surface during potential cycling in 10 mM HF solution
Mitsuru Wakisaka , Shuichi Asizawa , Hiroyuki Uchida and Masahiro Watanabe
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 4184-4190
DOI: 10.1039/B923956A

Surface modification of anatase nanoparticles with fused ring catecholate type ligands: a combined DFT and experimental study of optical properties
Tatjana D. Savić, Ivana A. Janković, Zoran V. Šaponjić, Mirjana I. Čomor, Dušan Ž. Veljković, Snežana D. Zarić and Jovan M. Nedeljković
Nanoscale, 2012, 4, 1612-1619
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR11501H

A method to tune the ionic current rectification of track-etched nanopores by using surfactant
Lin Wang, Yu Yan, Yanbo Xie, Long Chen, Jianming Xue, Sha Yan and Yugang Wang
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 576-581
DOI: 10.1039/C0CP00587H

Visible-light-induced photocatalysis through surface plasmon excitation of gold on titania surfaces
Ewa Kowalska, Orlando Omar Prieto Mahaney, Ryu Abe and Bunsho Ohtani
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 2344-2355
DOI: 10.1039/B917399D

In situ TEM observation of lithium nanoparticle growth and morphological cycling
Jay Ghatak, Wei Guan and Günter Möbus
Nanoscale, 2012, 4, 1754-1759, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR11546H

The electron density vs. NICS scan: a new approach to assess aromaticity in molecules with different ring sizes
Cina Foroutan-Nejad, Shant Shahbazian and Parviz Rashidi-Ranjbar
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 12630-12637
DOI: 10.1039/C004254D

Power-law statistics in blinking SERS of thiacyanine adsorbed on a single silver nanoaggregate
Yasutaka Kitahama, Yuhei Tanaka, Tamitake Itoh and Yukihiro Ozaki
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 7457-7460
DOI: 10.1039/C000824A

Also check out the the exciting images of the olympicene molecule made by Anish Mistry and David Fox from the University of Warwick to celebrate the Olympics.

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Recently Appointed Academics in Physical Chemistry meeting – free registration

01 Aug 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Have you recently been appointed as a lecturer in Physical Chemistry? Do you aspire to get a position soon?

If so you are welcome to join us at the Recently Appointed Academics in Physical Chemistry meeting held in Trevelyan College at Durham University from 5 – 7 September 2012.

Registration Deadline: 6 August 2012

The is a biennial meeting sponsored by the RSC Faraday Division and is free to participants. It provides a forum for new appointees to engage with and learn about their role as an academic. Covering areas from research and teaching to getting funding and starting your own spin-out company this is a great opportunity to get to learn from academics who have been there before. Participants will have the opportunity and are strongly encouraged to present their research, which will aid in the networking and potential future collaborations.

More details are available on the meeting webpage.

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Call for papers: Spectroscopy and dynamics of medium-sized molecules and clusters

01 Aug 2012

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

PCCP themed issue:
Spectroscopy and dynamics of medium-sized molecules and clusters
Guest Editors: Majdi Hochlaf, Roberto Linguerri (Université Paris-Est) and David Lauvergnat (CNRS)

PCCP is delighted to announce the high-profile themed issue on Spectroscopy and dynamics of medium-sized molecules and clusters: Theory, experiment and applications. It is our pleasure to invite you to submit to this themed issue.

The themed issue will be published in PCCP in summer 2013 and will be promoted to the community throughout the year to maximise the visibility of the work published.

Deadline for Submissions: 21 January 2013

This themed issue will tackle new and still unresolved challenges in molecular science with particular emphasis on experimental and theoretical spectroscopy and/or quantum dynamics. One of the principal topics is the treatment of anharmonicity in medium-sized molecules and clusters.

Applications include, for instance, accurate description of highly excited states of molecules (including electronic, vibrational and rotational excitation), weakly bound aggregated systems, dynamics of molecules undergoing conformational changes, dynamics of molecules adsorbed on nanostructures, molecules at cold and ultracold temperatures, molecules in unusual environments (e.g., interstellar space), atmospheric molecules and long-range particle transfers.

It is envisaged that articles in the themed issue will discuss different approaches to overcome the difficulties associated with the numerical treatment of anharmonicity in complex molecular systems. In addition, there will be articles exploring new experimental techniques devoted for the investigation of such systems beyond the harmonic approximation and beyond the Franck-Condon principle. The proposal of new strategies and the combination of existing approaches which deal with the analysis and interpretation of recent experimental studies of highly excited molecular systems and astrophysical observations are welcomed.

We hope you can take part in this exciting issue.

With our best wishes,

Majdi Hochlaf, Roberto Linguerri and David Lauvergnat
Guest Editors

Jane Hordern
Deputy Editor, PCCP

Submission details:

Manuscripts can be submitted in any reasonable format using our online submissions service
Submissions should be high quality manuscripts of original, unpublished research
Communications and full papers can be submitted for consideration, which will be subject to rigorous peer review
Please indicate upon submission that your manuscript is intended for this themed issue
Further information can be found in our author guidelines

Submit your paper to this themed issue

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Graphene printer helps fight Parkinson’s disease

Top ten most accessed articles in July

Cavitation and ice nucleation in doubly-metastable water

Themed Issue on Biophysical Studies on Protein Misfolding and Amyloid Diseases: Call for papers

Layer-by-layer inkjet printing to make a graphene-based film for a chemical sensor

Top 10 most-read PCCP articles in June

New drug delivery method for ibuprofen examined

Olympics fever hits PCCP and Nanoscale

Recently Appointed Academics in Physical Chemistry meeting – free registration

Call for papers: Spectroscopy and dynamics of medium-sized molecules and clusters

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